The Search for the Talismans
by Azurite
Summary: Chapter 2 uploaded, and a teeny tiny revision made to Chapter 1. Akane is on a "training trip" that is meant to help her discover the powers within herself-- the search for 12 mysterious and powerful talismans! Will she survive? Will her family and friend
1. The Chosen One

The Search for the Talismans Chapter 1: The Chosen One

The Search For The Talismans  
Chapter 1: The Chosen One  
By: Azurite [[azurite_moon@yahoo.com][1]]  
[http://www.geocities.com/azurite_moon][2]  
[azurite_updates@yahoogroups.com][3]  
A Ranma ½ Fanfiction

Post Manga 38  
GRRRL POWER!

Originally titled "Omamori" [Talisman] this fanfiction (like most of my other Ranma works) is centered on Akane. As you can tell from the bold "GRRRL POWER!" above, I'm intent on making Akane the good guy. I don't hate the other fiancees, but I am a Defender of the True Fiancee, so if you don't like R + A... leave now, and forever hold your peas. ^.~

Like I own Ranma. Hah. The idea of the talismans isn't mine either *sniff*. It's adapted from the Jackie Chan Adventures cartoon. ^^;; So sue me, I'm A Jackie Chan-atic. 

3

Nodoka Saotome was a very perplexing person. You see, her son barely remembered her, her husband was afraid of her, and the Tendo family had just met her only recently. Less than 18 months ago, when Ranma had first arrived at their training hall, in fact. So she still had a lot of secrets up her... kimono. 

Akane Tendo, youngest of the Tendo sisters and betrothed to Ranma Saotome, Nodoka's only son, was the first to find out one of many "secrets" regarding Nodoka. It all started one "ordinary" day... 

**[Nerima Ward, July 26th]**

"You called, Auntie?" Akane came smiling out from the dojo. She wiped her brow with the towel around her neck. She'd just finished some aerial katas, and boy would Ranma be surprised when they sparred! Of course, Ranma always refused to fight her fairly, and he was still more adept than she... but it was a start. 

"Yes, Akane. I have a... well, a story to tell you." Nodoka smiled. She placed her hand on her family katana, the one that never left her side. She only used it for whipping her lazy husband into shape; she would never even dream of using it. She had once, long ago... but... 

Akane settled herself down on a cushion beside Nodoka, eager to listen. Even if Nodoka was Ranma's mother, it still felt nice to have an older-- and not-related woman to talk to. Maybe what Akane wanted was a motherly figure, and while Kasumi had adopted that role in the Tendo home, she didn't quite fit the part in Akane's mind. Nodoka, on the other hand... 

_What am I thinking? For Auntie to become my... 'Mother' I'd have to marry Ranma!_

Akane looked up, her cheeks stained a light pink, as Nodoka began her story. 

"It started out several hundred years ago. The Saotome family line was just starting to develop the Anything Goes line of martial arts. Regardless of what..." Nodoka cringed, "Master Happosai says, the Saotome line had been martial artists long before he introduced Soun and my husband to it." Nodoka herself was proof enough of that-- her family katana had the Saotome crest on it, and it was very old-- the style and materials used for the blade were rare, not to mention expensive in Japan these days. 

"A distant relative of mine --you know, the Saotome line is passed down through me, and not Genma-- named Fukami came upon a temple. She needed rest after all her training in the wilderness --because Japan was mostly wilderness back in those days-- and stopped at the nerest shrine to catch her bearings. However, she was startled when an aging priestess challenged her to a match. Never one to turn a challenge down, she accepted. It was no surprise that she beat the priestess, except to the monks watching. They told Fukami that the aging Priestess -their prophet- was undefeated, even by their best male champions. The temple trained people for thousands of years in all number of Arts, and the priestess was the strongest of all those that had been trained, and stayed at the temple. That's when the Priestess revealed a secret..." 

"What?" Akane asked, leaning forward in anticipation. 

"Well, she said that she had only challenged Fukami because she had had a vision that she would be defeated by a girl with Fukami's likeness and attitude. It was a vision come true, the monks said, because their prophetess was never wrong. So, Fukami trained with the monks and the priestess for a very long while, perfecting and adding onto the Anything Goes style. In fact, many aspects --even the name-- of the Anything Goes style came from Fukami. A whole year passed, and the monks and priestess deemed Fukami ready." 

"Ready... for what?" Akane asked, her brows furrowed in confusion. 

"To defeat their male champion." 

"But I thought that not even the male champions could defeat the Priestess!" Akane protested. 

"Ah-ah-ah. You see, the male champion refused to ever fight the Priestess. He said it would be... dishonorable, and unmanly." Nodoka allowed herself a slight smile, while Akane sweatdropped. 

"Why... does that sound so familiar?" Akane asked no one in particular, a sarcastic tone in her voice. Anyone could have told those present that she was referring to her fiancee, who refused to fight girls fairly unless it was a life or death matter. 

"However, in order for Fukami to continue practicing, and one day teach the Art she had learned from the temple, she had to defeat the male champion. It was a tradition of the temple, so that all people worthy of their champion title would hold it for their entire lives. Thus, the champion was forced to fight Fukami, by right of the temple's tradition. Since he had never fought the priestess, he had to fight the girl that had defeated her-- Fukami." 

"When they finally met, things... got out of hand."

"Huh? How so?" 

"Well, for starters, for weeks, Fukami had prepped herself into thinking that the champion was just another withered old monk. Her agility and speed would allow her to defeat such a person quickly." 

"But he wasn't old at all, was he?" Akane asked, knowing the answer.

"Not at all. In fact, he was a very handsome, young man... just about Fukami's age. Fukami had a crush on him at first, not knowing he was the champion, but when she discovered who he was, she tossed away her feelings and focused on the fight. But she was unable to put her entire heart and soul into the fight, and was defeated-- not easily, but defeated nonetheless." 

"... Is that it? What happened to Fukami and the champion?" Akane asked, distressing. 

"Not the end at all. Fukami had grown to love the temple and its Priestess so much that she begged to be tested in another manner, to prove her worthiness of teaching the temple's line. That way, she could incorporate the techniques into the Anything Goes Saotome style, and teach them to students-- and eventually her children." 

"So? What did the Priestess say?" 

"Well, the Priestess said the champion had to decide. So the champion told Fukami that she had to search for 12 sacred talismans. Fukami thought it was a joke, and was about to leave, but the Priestess stopped her. "

"Wha? But how...?" 

"Well, Fukami didn't want to give up on the Art, but if she couldn't use the techniques she had spent an entire year refining, then what else could she do? She wanted to leave where her humilation couldn't find her. But the Priestess said the 12 talismans would enable her to defeat any foe-- even the champion." 

"But... why didn't the champion go after them himself, if they made someone so powerful?" 

"That, my dear, is the cincher. The talismans could only be obtained by a woman of pure mind, body and soul. Since the Priestess was the only woman who fit that description, and Fukami had defeated her, the monks and the champions reasoned that Fukami was the next best canidate."

"Wow..." 

"Fukami set off on her adventure, but before she left, she recieved special blessings from the Priestess, and a message from the champion. He said that he hoped she succeeded-- because he believed that she was the Chosen One meant to obtain the talismans... and he believed in her." 

"That jerk said that, after defeating her? You'd think he'd be gloating..." 

"Ah, you would. But you see, he had fallen in love with her, having seen her spirit and devotion to the Art in their battle. She might have been willing to throw it all away, but for just cause, because she loved the Art so much, she would give it up if she couldn't use those techniques she had worked so hard on." 

"... is it really worth it? Just because you're not the best, to give it all up... throw your life away, just like that?" Akane asked solemnly. 

"You tell me. You've met many martial artists, of varying schools and calibers in the 18 months my son has been here... do you think it's worth it to give it all up because someone's better than you?" 

"Well..." Akane paused. The people she had met --rival or no-- were talented martial artists, but each in their own fields. Ukyo was the best at Okinomiyaki cooking and martial arts, while Shampoo was the best in Amazon techniques, surpassed only by her great-grandmother, Cologne. Mousse was the master of Hidden Weapons, while Kodachi excelled in Martial Arts Gymnastics. Kuno, while an idiot, could use a bokken better than anyone else at Furinkan, and Ranma... 

" I don't know. I don't know why I keep trying when I know I'll never be better than..." His name was on the edge of her lips, and Nodoka frowned a bit at Akane's open statement.   
"He's been practicing all his life. I thought I had too, and that I was good enough. But he won't even fight me." 

"So why not give up?" 

Akane looked up, as if she'd just had an epiphany. 

"Fukami didn't. She wanted to take a second shot at it, and keep practicing so she could make the champion proud of her. She might have humilated herself by begging for another chance, but humility and asking for help are part of life. I don't give up because I know I can be the best too, in some Art I've developed just for me." 

"That is the spirit I was looking for!" Nodoka smiled, and Akane grinned back happily. So what if Ranma was fast and strong? He couldn't forget all those times when he **hadn't** been fast enough to dodge her mallet, her slap, her bokken...

_Come to think of it, maybe I am a bit too unfair to Ranma... but I still want to prove to him that I'm not as weak and tomboyish as he always makes me out to be. 'Uncute fiancee.' Hah. _

Akane sweatdropped without a word, and scratched the back of her head in embarassment. 

"Akane," Nodoka said suddenly, growing serious, "How would you like to embark on the same mission as Fukami did?" 

"W-What?" Akane asked, astonished.

"If you think you need to prove yourself by trying to get into a fair fight with Ranma... well, I don't blame you, he **is** a little egotistical... then this is the perfect chance for you." 

"Well, I..." 

"The 12 Talismans need to be secured by someone. In the hundreds of years since Fukami obtained them, they have since been scattered about the world. I speak on behalf of that original priestess, who believed in Fukami. Please Akane." 

"But... what makes you think **I'm **the Chosen One... I've never fought you... let alone defeated any kind of monks or... or champions." 

"You have. I just don't think you've recognized it, yet. I'm not going to guilt you into doing this, Akane. I just thought..." 

Akane hated seeing Nodoka upset. It was bad enough when Ranma and Genma kept on ducking whenever she happened by. Akane was beginning to feel guilty **anyway**...

"I'll do it." 

Nodoka immediately brightened, "You will?" 

"Yes. It'll give me something to do this summer anyway." Akane grinned. Besides, if it had to do with martial arts, then it could be considered training. 

"Thank you, Akane! Thank you!" Nodoka smiled. 

At that moment, however, Ranma entered, looking frazzled. He groaned before collapsing onto the couch, sound asleep. 

Nodoka smiled at her out-cold son and back again at Akane. 

"I'll explain more to you later. But I must tell you-- it will be dangerous, and there will be others after the talismans. No one can know about exactly what you intend to do, because of these factors. Do you still want to do it?" 

"I already said yes, didn't I?" Akane smiled, a determined expression on her face. 

"Good. Thank you... daughter." Akane smiled proudly at her "Auntie" and future mother-in-law, and turned heel to go upstairs and pack. She would leave tonight, and start her adventure as soon as possible. 

=O=

The end of Chapter 1: The Chosen One. 

Coming up in Chapter 2 of "The Search for the Talismans"... 

***  
"Out of Reach"

_I can't... I just..._ Akane stretched as far as her arm could reach, but it was still too far away. At this rate, the Dark Hand would get to the first talisman before she would, having a head start! She couldn't let that happen! Right when she was ready to give up, though, Akane's vision blanked into white, and she found herself staring face to face with someone very familiar to her... 

***

[azurite_moon@yahoo.com][1]

   [1]: mailto:azurite_moon@yahoo.com
   [2]: http://www.geocities.com/azurite_moon
   [3]: mailto:azurite_updates@yahoogroups.com



	2. Out of Reach

The Search for the Talismans Chapter 1: The Chosen One

The Search For The Talismans  
Chapter 2: Out of Reach  
By: Azurite [[azurite_moon@yahoo.com][1]]  
[http://www.geocities.com/azurite_moon][2]  
[azurite_updates@yahoogroups.com][3]  
A Ranma ½ Fanfiction

Post Manga 38  
GRRRL POWER!

Originally titled "Omamori" [Talisman] this fanfiction (like most of my other Ranma works) is centered on Akane. As you can tell from the bold "GRRRL POWER!" above, I'm intent on making Akane the good guy. I don't hate the other fiancees, but I am a Defender of the True Fiancee, so if you don't like R + A... leave now, and forever hold your peas. ^.~

Like I own Ranma. Hah. The idea of the talismans isn't mine either *sniff*. It's adapted from the Jackie Chan Adventures cartoon. ^^;; So sue me, I'm A Jackie Chan-atic. 

Also, for Akane's first "test" I use elements from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. ^^;  
I know you're all thinking now, "Gee, she's _real_ original..." Ehee... just you wait! =)

3

Akane was busily deciding just which things she should pack into her bags for her sudden adventure. As for what she was going to tell her sisters and her Father... well, that was planned out. She just hoped it would be enough not to raise any suspicion-- or cause Ranma to follow her. 

_I think I knew how Fukami felt... at least a little bit. She might not have wanted the champion to beat her, but he did. She recognized that fact, and then decided to find her own path-- a part of the Art that could be hers and hers to master alone._

Akane paused. Sensibility was key in packing for a training trip with no definite destination or period of time set for return. 

_I guess this is what Ryoga feels like... always lost, never knowing exactly where he's going, where he is, or when he'll get to where he wants to be._

What need would she have for pictures? Maybe she wasn't the definition of a real martial artist-- one who devoted their entire life to the Art-- but she was ready to take something of that magnitude on. But she was still a teenager, who wanted a life outside the Art. 

Without any further second thoughts, she shoved a small box of postcards and pens into her bag, followed by a camera and pocket notebook. Then went her clothes-- for all types of weather-- scorching hot, cool and foggy, freezing cold, or mild and warm. A few towels for those after-bathing times. The basic toiletries-- some deodorant, shampoo, a brush, and body soap. A washcloth, razor, scissors, and "feminine" products. Toothbrush, toothpaste, ponytail holders. 

_Hah. I don't think my hair's __**ever**__ going to grow long enough to need these again..._

Akane thought, fingering the bands. She tried to put on in her hair, just to see, and was amazed to find she had a two inch sprout of hair long enough to be held back. It held the hair out of her face just so, and only a few short, stray hairs made their way into her face.

_This is more helpful than I thought._

Akane left the bands on her wrist as she continued packing, rolling her sleeping roll, extra blanket, and collapsable tent into one firm bundle. This she strapped to her large pack-- the same standard kind that Ranma and his Father had arrived here in Nerima with. 

_Who knows where my adventures may take me? I hope it doesn't take 10 years away from my family to find the talismans, and let me find my own road to traverse, but at least I'm making the effort._

Akane smiled to herself as the last strap was snapped, the last zipper zipped, and the final knot tied. At that moment, a brief rapping came on her door, and before Akane could even say, "Come in," Nabiki entered.

The middle Tendo scanned Akane's room, in a state of disarray due to the younger Tendo's packing habits, and blinked. 

"Going somewhere, sis?"   
"On a training trip." Akane responded simply.   
"No... that's what you're going to tell everyone else. You can tell **me** the truth." Nabiki smirked in her usual knowing way, and shut the door behind her. 

Akane sighed, knowing it was useless to try and hide anything from Nabiki.   
"I'm going to find some ancient treasures. Sort of. It's supposed to help me improve my skills in the Art, while getting away from all this craziness."   
"'Ancient treasures', eh? I didn't know you were into archaeology and that kind of thing, Akane." Nabiki smiled. 

"I'm not-- that's why you didn't know." Akane responded with a grin.   
"Well..." Nabiki stood, looking over her younger sister as if for the last time, "Don't forget to call. Not just write-- call. You know my number."   
"Your cell? By heart." Akane smiled fondly and stood, hoisting her pack to her shoulders. She wasn't leaving now, but she was going to put her pack aside so she could leave later, when no one would notice-- or put up a fight. 

"Take care of yourself. Don't make me sic Ranma on you." Nabiki said seriously, a hint of worry creeping into her voice. She moved towards the door when Akane spoke.   
"Geez, you act like I'm going off to my doom, sis! I'm just going on a trip!"  
"That's what Ranma said before he went to China, got you kidnapped and..." The next word was barely a whisper, "...killed." Nabiki opened the door and shut it. 

_...What?_

Later that evening, when everyone was settled down to dinner, awaiting the delicious aroma that came with Nodoka and Kasumi's jointly prepared meals, Akane was nervously fidgeting. She planned to make her announcement just before dinner, so that everyone could have adequate time to "digest" it, so to speak. Nothing they could say would convince her to stay of course-- unless Nodoka said something dramatic. Akane could only hope her future-mother-in-law would remain quiet about the true nature of her trip. 

When Kasumi and Nodoka finally seated themselves, Akane stopped Ranma and his nearly-carnivorous father from attacking the dinnerware. She did so by placing her hand on top of the dinner platter, effectively stopping any Kachuu Tenshins Ranma might have used with his chopsticks. 

"Akane, what are you doing? It's dinner, and I'm hungry!" Ranma whined.  
"Ranma, dear, maybe you should hear Akane out before... eating." Nodoka said kindly, placing her hand on Ranma's shoulder. Ranma of course, froze, looked up to Akane, then to his mother, and sighed, leaning back and withdrawing his chopsticks. For his part, Genma didn't look defeated by his wife's words in any way; he simply moved a bit more subtlely towards the platter. Nodoka shot him a 'If-Looks-Could-Kill' glare, one that effectively sent the message that if he moved another muscle, he'd be committing ritual seppuku. He froze, then withdrew.

Akane, for her part, was a bit mad at Ranma. 

_He always puts food before everything else. He accuses me of jumping to conclusions-- and I know I do, but at least I try to hear him out most of the time!_

Akane cringed at her own thoughts-- 'most'. Licking her lips, she drew a deep breath and began. 

"I'm going on a training trip later. I won't say when, or where to, because I don't want you guys to try and stop me. This is my choice, and I want to do it alone." 

"A training trip?!" Ranma sputtered, dropping his chopsticks. Surprise outweighed concern, so Ranma's foot went all the way into his mouth. 

"A tomboy like you could train for your whole life and you'd never be as good as someone like me!" Ranma boasted. 

Akane grit her teeth, wanting more than anything to mallet Ranma-- but that was just the kind of reaction he wanted. So he could tease her more, and make her feel worse about herself. She wanted -and would- make a new oath for herself, and it was starting here, right now. She wasn't going to let Ranma's overinflated ego ruin her self-esteem. She'd spent so long building it up, after hearing Fukami's story. She wanted to believe that someone else -Nodoka, especially- believed in her, where others didn't. 

_I'm __**not**__ a thick, stupid tomboy! I might jump to conclusions and be irrational, but at least I try! I'm open to change! I'm not going to let that perverted... __**blowhard**__ boss me around! But... I can't insult him in front of his mom. It's still the wrong reaction._

Akane sighed without saying anything, and Ranma blinked. A second later, Nodoka soundly thwapped Ranma on his head with her hand. 

"You should be more polite to Akane. She is the daughter of Soun, who is not only a good friend of the family, but the owner of this dojo which you plan to inherit one day-- isn't that right, Ranma? Without Akane, you wouldn't be inheriting anything, and would be out on the streets again. Would you like that?"   
Ranma gulped, not used to being reprimanded by his mother. But she was right... and did have a point...

_Why do I always tease Akane anyway? I just don't want to admit that I get worried about her... not even to myself. It's rude, and I know she hates it. But when she gets riled up, we both get hurt. So why...?_

"No," Ranma sighed, defeated. "I wouldn't like it one bit." 

Akane blinked in surprise, but surmised that what Ranma said was the answer his mother wanted to hear. If he had any say in the matter, he'd be traveling right now-- to China, to get his impossible cure. She was sure of it. 

"My little girl, going out into the world all alone?" Soun wailed, hugging Akane till her face was blue.   
"D-Dad... can't... breathe..." Akane rasped, stuggling frantically with her hands.   
"Oh... sorry Akane." Soun sweatdropped, but continued wailing.   
"Listen Dad... everyone.. I'm 17, almost 18. I've been on a lot of... 'trips' by myself before, and I can handle myself. I won't forget to call or write... and I'm prepared." 

"Akane, just where are you going?" Kasumi asked in her usual worried, motherly tone.   
Akane gulped and looked to Nodoka. The elder woman's face remained impassive, as if this were the first time she too, were hearing the news that Akane were leaving. 

"I can't say." Akane finally managed. 

_That sounded wrong! I'm not some secret agent, so..._

"Because I don't know myself." Akane finished lamely. 

_At least it's the truth!_

"Oh." Kasumi murmured. She then leaned over and gave Akane a quick hug.   
"Well, I wish you the best of luck. Don't forget to call... at least weekly..." 

Ranma looked startled at the prospect that Akane could be gone for more than a week, and frowned. It was then that Kasumi opened the platter lid, and the fresh smell of dinner wafted around the dinner table's occupants.

Immediately Genma dug in, and Ranma had to fend for his own food. Once Nodoka had reprimaded her husband in kind, Ranma ate his food slowly. Akane avoided all eye contact with him. What had gotten into her?

Much later, when Akane surmised that everyone was asleep, she finished making up her room and grabbed her pack. She wanted to look over the house one last time, and imprint everything she sensed in her mind-- that way, when she came back, nothing would surprise her. 

She was finished with her 'mind-imprinting' when she headed towards the exit out the hall near the dojo. She saw a shadow lurking in the corner, concelaed by the darkness provided by the contrasting white moonlight and the dark room. She sighed, knowing it had to be Ranma-- either trying to make her feel bad before leaving, or to convince her not to go at all. 

_Well, I won't listen to him._

"Come out, Ranma," Akane sighed. "What do you want?"   
"Why are you leaving?" Ranma countered, a strange expression on his face. It looked as though he were trying to find a reason written on her face, as his eyes continually scanned her.  
"I told you guys, I'm going on a training trip, and you won't stop me." Akane moved to continue down the hall, but Ranma blocked her. 

_I could just sock him and walk out. Why is part of me wanting to stay? It's not as if I'm afraid of what's ahead... 'Expect the unexpected' is my motto. I've seen it all, been there, done that. Why would I want to stay here when I've experienced all Nerima has to offer me?_

"I'm not... going to try and stop you." Ranma finally said, staring at his feet.   
"Then get out of my way." He didn't budge, and Akane groaned. "Look, this 'thick as a brick' tomboy needs to get going before daylight, so move it, blockhead!" 

To her surprise, Ranma easily moved out of the way, and Akane nearly tripped forward. She continued walking, forcing herself not to look back, even though she knew Ranma's eyes were practically boring a hole in her pack. Almost to the door, she paused, this time of her own free will. 

"When I come back... I won't be the same person." She said slowly. 

_If all goes well, that is._

Without another word, she continued forward. When Ranma looked back up again, towards the path Akane had just walked down, she was gone. The moon was shining brightly, full and illustrious in the midnight sky, over a still koi pond. 

"That's what I'm afraid of." Ranma murmured to the darkness, turning as he went back to bed. This was going to be a long night. 

Akane was walking in no general direction, thinking to herself and admiring the nocturnal scenery as she made her way through the streets of Nerima. It would be a while before she got to any sort of wilderness, and that was where Nodoka had indicated, just after dinner, that her training would begin. 

_Half the journey is getting there._

Akane reminded herself. She set down on a nearby corner, saying goodbye to her neighborhood. She took out a small necklace that Nodoka had given her "to aid in her quest." She had no idea what it meant, nor what the strange Chinese characters on it said, but she hoped it really **would** assist her in her quest. If not, the only "aide" it would provide would be extra money, should she need it.

Akane had a good deal of money-- some that Nabiki had 'donated' and the rest from Akane's own savings. She hadn't really thought of what she wanted to spend the money on anyway, so this was as good as anything. It was money for the pure necessities she **didn't** have on her, and couldn't trade or make herself. Things like food, or extra toiletries, or admission into a bathhouse. 

All of a sudden, the character on the top started to glow, and Akane stared. It had created a beam of light leading north! Maybe that's what those characters were then-- the cardinal directions! How could she not have seen it!? She ran towards where the light was pointing, eager to find the clues to the whearabouts of the first talisman.

"It has begun." A low, raspy voice proclaimed.   
"So it has, my Lord. You know what we have to do." 

The low voice said nothing-- it emanated from a shadowed, dragon-like statue of sorts, fastened on a wall. Its red slits for eyes were glowing an ominous red. They burned brighter, fixating on a spot behind the speaker. A dark spot grew in the place where the dragon's eyes stared, and from that spot rose a figure swathed in black, looking something like a ninja, concealed from head to foot. 

When the speaker turned and faced this ninja, he recieved a strange statuette-- one that looked like the larger statue on the wall, only multiplied by four, and fastened together by a glowing orb. 

"This is..." The man began, addressing the dragon on the wall. 

"It will aid you in finding the talismans. But hurry. If that... child reaches them before we do..." The dragon had no need to finish its sentence to let the man know of the consquences of failure. 

"I will get my best men on the job." The man said, executing a low bow. The narrow slits that were the dragon-statue's eyes dimmed a bit, to a blood red crimson shade. The raspy voice faded away, as if carried by an unseen, unfelt wind... "See that you do..."

When Akane finally reached the area the necklace's beam of light pointed, and the brightness faded, she was stunned. She'd run for the entire journey, excited to be started, and was now winded-- and on the edge of a cliff overlooking the ocean. 

There it was, just a great blue-black expanse. The sky was slowly lightening, very far in the distance. Dawn was coming. There were still shadows, still stars, and the sky was still an almost-inky blue, but Akane felt somewhat relieved, without really knowing why. 

"But where...?"

The world around Akane suddenly seemed to warp and swirl, and the necklace's once dying light was shining around Akane in an aquamarine haze. 

Dizzy and nauseous, Akane fell to her knees, the pressures hitting at her head from all directions. She could no longer keep her eyes open, and fell completely to the ground, unconscious. 

When she woke up, it felt like an eternity later. But the throbbing of her head remained, and she groggily sat up, her vision blurry and her hearing roaring with the rushing of...   
"Flames?" Akane murmured. 

Before her was a small campfire. It glowed red, orange, and a brilliant goldenrod, an unmistakeable source of light and heat, regardless of Akane's current state of vision. When that aforementioned vision began to clear, Akane saw a stick move in the fire, adjusting the twigs that burned within. 

She looked up hastily, and realized she didn't wear her pack. Looking around frantically, it was nowhere to be found. When she looked up at the person sitting at the campfire with her, there was no one. 

"What the...?"

She was in a cave of sorts, it seemed. When she got up to look around, outside, there was a tremendous chasm, and in the distance-- at least 50 meters away, Akane could barely make out her pack, in the same place overlooking the ocean, where she had fallen. 

When she shifted her gaze to the left, she saw another cave, similar to the one she was in now, across the chasm. She searched for a bridge, a rope, a ladder of any sort, but none was to be found. How was she supposed to get to that other side, where her pack was? 

_Maybe this is some kind of test. The necklace __**did**__ say the talismans were around here somewhere... and if they're supposed to help me train in the Art, then maybe I have to fight to get to the talisman._

As if in answer to Akane's thoughts, the necklace around Akane's neck glimmered, and when she looked up again, a sparkle on the wall, in the other cave, could be seen. But there was still that one problem-- how could she get across a seemingly bottomless chasm without any of the supplies in her pack?

Not to mention the more pertinent point-- how the heck did she get over here in the first place? Akane sighed, sitting back down where the fire was. Well, this was an excellent turn of events. Stranded in a cave. Brought here by mysterious forces-- away from all her food and supplies, but warmed by a fire that had appeared and had been tended to out of nowhere.

"Hum? What's this?" Akane's eyes alighted on a small, withered scrap of paper, not far from the fire, and almost about to become ashes. On it was an a scrawled text, Japanese characters to be sure, but very large ones. 

"Wh..." As Akane's eyes read the paper, they widened. This-- this was a clue! It had to be!

_The leap of faith. Only in the leap from the lion's head will she prove her worth._

"Leap of faith?" Akane looked up, confused, amd then out to the bottomless chasm. A sharp break was taken in before she could control herself, and she found her lips saying "Oh my..." 

When Akane walked out as far as she could go, she saw the overhang above the cave she had just been in. Carved in the red stone was a lion's head, looking as regal and beautiful as any statue carved for a museum or private collection. 

"Leap of faith...?" Akane looked back to the cave, almost expecting to find someone to give her reassurance, but found no one. Even her own mind was rebelling against her about what she was about to do. The chasm had no bottom-- no handholds on the wall on the way down. There was no water to land in, no grass to bounce off of, nothing. Just endless blackness. As if that wasn't enough, the lion's head was a good six feet above Akane-- she would never be able to reach it. 

"Leap of faith. Okay, time to expand my beliefs. I have to... believe." 

_Believe in what?! That I won't be turned into a pancake, or that I'll never stop falling? Not even __**Ranma**__ could..._

Akane snapped her fingers, "That's it!" Akane inhaled a deep breath and stepped back a few feet. She glanced over her shoulder to see, with some surprise, that the fire was gone. Nothing remained of it, not even branches, a scorch mark, or ashes. 

Akane looked to the paper in her hand again, and closed her eyes, shoving it away in her pocket. She licked her lips with some trepidation, and then fell into a running stance-- the one that track members go into before one of their big races-- with hurdles. 

_If this ain't a hurdle, I don't know __**what**_ _is!_

When Akane opened her eyes again, she seemed to have gained some confidence. Then, before she could blink twice, she was gone-- running as fast as she could, willing her legs to take her that seemingly endless distance to the other cave-- to the talisman!

With a force propelling her that she had never known before, she leapt off the cliff-face, and realized, just a millisecond too late, that she was several meters short of her goal. She clawed at the air in front of her, but was still too far from the other side.

That heady feeling of falling sutuck Akane, but that was when she... landed. Just like that. On her hands and knees, she was suspended above the endless chasm, with no apparent means of support. 

Akane blinked, heaved a great sigh, and then attempted to stand. When she tilted her head to the side slightly, she realized the trick. An invisible pathway was what she had landed on-- made to look as though trying to leap would cause an endless fall into the chasm below. But when she moved her head, the line of sight changed, causing the illusion to be revealed. 

With somewhat shaking legs, Akane made her way to the other side of the chasm, and looked back at the lion's head, from where she had leapt off. With a proud smile, she knelt down and threw some dirt over the pathway, so she could see it if she needed to return to the other side. 

The cave in front of her --that had her pack and the first talisman-- seemed to be longer now that she stood at its mouth, but if a leap of faith was only one part of the test...

Akane glanced down at paper in her hands, to the section marked with the '2' character. 

_The Breath of the Goddess, only the penitent shall pass. _

"'Breath of the Goddess?' What...?" Akane looked to the cave and then to the paper again, confused. Then, something inside her head clicked. 

_The Goddess-- Amaterasu! Penitent... the penitent person is humble before the Goddess. Humble... must... KNEEL!_

Akane flattened herself on the floor just as an oversized axe and spinning blade came whirling towards her. Had she not solved that puzzle in time, she would have been headless. The very thought nauseated Akane, who touched her neck, and the warm necklace, glad to have them both still intact. 

In order to prevent anyone else from getting beheaded, Akane pulled her belt off and tied it around the mechanism's gears, effectively jamming the blades in midswipe. Her pants were more than a bit too loose, but that wasn't her biggest concern at the moment. 

_The final test is the Word of the Goddess. _

That was all. It said nothing more than that, and Akane made a slight squeaking sound. First a leap of faith over an endless chasm, then a perplexing puzzle that almost could have sliced off her head! Now this!?

_I just have to believe! That's what the leap of faith was about in the--_

Akane's train of thought was suddenly derailed when she heard a scream. 

"AKANE!! HELP!!" Akane looked up, startled. She muffled a scream as she saw her fiancee --Ranma-- being pulled by some force into a side wall of the cave. It was a good 10 meters in front of her, but if she--

Akane's feet stopped abruptly, as a few scatterd rocks fell into another bottomless chasm-- thought this one was really a hole in the ground between her and Ranma. It too, was too far to be crossed with a single leap, and there was no sort of bridge or contraption to get across with. 

The floor was all rock, so there was no dirt to see if there was another invisible bridge. It was also too dark to see whether or not her line of sight was just being tricked, and Ranma was being taken...

_The Word of the Goddess... her name!_

She had to be careful. Without dirt or light to see if she was being tricked, everything really was a test of faith... she had to believe... 

_I have to save him! Even if that jerk __**did**__ follow me when I told him not to, I have to!_

The characters weren't Japanese though. 

_Damn! How am I supposed to know which ones spell out 'Amaterasu'? _

Akane had to wing it, and stretched her mind as far as it would go, back to the days when she was learning the old Chinese characters that were in frequent use in Japan. But for the life of her, she couldn't remember that first character... 

_A. The character A in Ancient Chinese... it's... _

Tentatively, with eyes pinched shut, Akane took that fateful first step... 

And her foot became precariously off-balanced over the strange mini-chasm at her feet. 

_No! In Ancient Chinese, there is no character for just 'a'. It has to be..._

Akane took one other step, and carefully looked for the rock carving illusions of the other characters that made up the Goddess' name. Step by step, wavering, she made it halfway through to the other side to the chasm. But her thoughts were on Ranma, her own fears about faith, and those dark shadows...

The characters stopped. Akane looked up, and she shadows -and Ranma- were gone. With a simple shriek, she dropped. But instead of landing on her hands and knees on an invisible platform, Akane's entire body swung downwards, and she realized with a sickening rush of blood to her head that she was, indeed, falling. 

She barely managed to get out a scream when her fingers grabbed onto a protruding handhold. The hoarse screams of her fiancee that she had been depending on to keep her going, faith or no, were still silent. Sweat poured down Akane's neck. 

_Gods, don't let him be dead. Give me the strength, the ability, __**anything**__... I need to save him!_

A voice suddenly rang out loud and clear, seemingly echoing off the walls of the cave and told Akane what to do. 

_Never forget to believe in yourself. Believing in yourself—having faith in your abilities, your hopes, desires, and dreams is the first step to becoming a martial artist, empowered by the soul of the Art._

"Wh-What?" Akane murmured, a rock hitting her. Her grip was loosening, and, even without her pack weighing her down, gravity wanted to pull the young martial artist down... down...

_I have to believe! I have to... I... can't... I just..._

Akane stretched as far as her arm could reach, but it was still too far away. At this rate, those weird dark figures would get to the first talisman before she would, having a head start! And Ranma...! She couldn't let anything happento him or the talisman! Right when she was ready to give up, though, Akane's vision blanked into white, and she found herself staring face to face with someone very familiar to her...

"It can't be..." Akane murmured. The man holding onto her arms was...

"MOUSSE?!" 

"Hang on, Akane, hang on!" Well, this was a change, Akane thought. She was hoisted up onto the cliff-face, and faced Mousse-- but not Mousse. His robes were all white, instead of decorated with that strange geometrical design, and he seemed to be... floating!?

"Who are you... and..." Akane stopped. What if this was an enemy? No, then why would he have saved her-- not to mention the fact that he knew who she was!

_Sometimes it takes more courage to believe in someone, than to fight._

The voice was the same that had spoken before, in her head, when she was hanging off. Mousse's voice. Or at least, this weird, not-quite-Mousse-Mousse. It didn't make much sense when she said it, much less thought about it. 

"Who... are you?" Akane repeated, much sucpicion creeping into her voice. She peered around the floating Mousse's shoulder to see if there was any sign of Ranma, the talisman, or those shadowy figures that had grabbed her fiancee. She wasn't about to get detained by a floating... Mousse!

"Where did those guys go...?" Akane murmured, mostly to herself. But the Mousse figure looked back to the cave too, and didn't seem too impressed with the scenery-- or lack thereof. There was no sign of a side opening in the cave, or any dark and shadowy figures... or Ranma. 

"Were you looking for me?" When Akane turned around again, Mousse was gone, and there stood Ranma, a cocky grin on his face. 

"W-Wh-How...?" Akane mumbled, stumbling back. Before her eyes, the figure that **looked** a hell of a lot like Ranma shifted back into that strange floating Mousse. 

"How...? I don't understand." Akane said, short of breath and confused beyond words. 

"This was your first test, as you suspected. As with any of the talismans, you will need to have faith in the abilities you already have-- courage to believe in those who inspire and motivate you-- like... this young man here." Mousse switched back into Ranma, and Akane sucked in a breath. 

"So you're not really Mousse." Akane stated flatly.

"No, and you knew that as well. I just picked the most suitable forms to inspire, motivate... or help you. In this case, you wouldn't have expected someone like..." Mousse tilted his head up as if thinking, "Shampoo, or Ukyo, would you?"

"How do you know all this? Who are you, if you're not Mousse?" 

"I am... well, I don't really have a... a **name**, I guess." Mousse shrugged nonchalantly. 

"In any case, you pass. You show great faith in your abilities, especially when motivated by your emotions."

"What do you mean?" Akane asked, frowning a bit.

"Your emotions-- your... love for that young man. Ranma." Akane blushed bright crimson and shook her head. 

"Love? For that... that... baka?!" Akane was raging, babbling off nonsense about why she most certainly was **not** in love with Ranma. Mousse, or the person who **looked** like Mousse, wasn't listening at all, and yawned, causing Akane to blink and stop her rambling. 

"Why you..." Akane started fuming, and the floating Mousse simply smiled genially at her, throwing her somewhat off guard. 

"I'll be going now!" He winked and then vanished in a plume of smoke, finally trailing off into a sparkling talisman on the red stone floor. Akane gingerly bent down and picked the stone up, looking at the talisman in her hand. The Rooster. 

Turning it over, she discovered some strange Ancient Chinese writings that she no doubt would have to get translated-- but that was a worry for another time! She was so excited that she'd obtained her first talisman, she wanted to get home and show it to Nodoka. Her mission was officially started!

Akane practically ran through the cave, heedless of any further dangers the "Goddess" and any other lurking spirits or shadows would impose on her. She picked up her untouched pack and happily kissed the talisman. It sparkled once more in the growing daylight. 

_Don't you want to go home now, Akane-san? I can read your mind you know._

Akane looked around, confused and more than a bit angry at the prospect of anyone readinf her mind, but she looked down at the talisman. It sparkled again, and before she could say or do anything about it, she vanished in a blast of white light. 

"KYAAA--" 

The tail end of Akane's scream was heard as she fell **out** of the sky, right onto an unsuspecting Ranma. He fell to the grass outside the Tendo dojo with an "oof!"

"Guh..." 

"AAAA... huh?" Akane stopped her scream as she realized-- she was home! The talisman was still in her hand, safe, intact... and she could **feel** the power within it! She didn't know exactly what that power was, but she could feel it!

_And I believe in myself more than I ever have..._

Akane smiled, and then realized that she was sitting on Ranma. 

"Uhm..." 

"Would you mind getting off of me!?" Ranma yelped, and Akane did just that, practically leaping over the koi pond to find her "Auntie Nodoka" and tell her the good news. 

"Hi Ranma! Sorry about landing on you!" She waved to him and smiled brilliantly, so much so that Ranma landed back on his butt again. 

"T-That tomboy..." Ranma muttered, standing up somewhat shakily. Having been landed on by a girl and her monstrous pack didn't help matters any... 

_She's back! She's back! She's back!_

Ranma smiled from his position on the ground. 

=O=

The end of Chapter 2: Out of Reach. 

Coming up in Chapter 3 of "The Search for the Talismans"... 

***  
"Falling Fast"

I'm learning Ranma, I'm learning! Akane laughed, running down the fence-top. Ranma shook his head to clear his thoughts, blinked, and then stared as Akane ran off. That was when he realized—her feet weren't actually touching the poles!

What in the 

***

[azurite_moon@yahoo.com][1]

   [1]: mailto:azurite_moon@yahoo.com
   [2]: http://www.geocities.com/azurite_moon
   [3]: mailto:azurite_updates@yahoogroups.com



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